Wranglers goalie Zane Steeves arrived in 100 Mile House one day before the 2015/16 season opener and quickly established himself as the team’s No. 1 goaltender.
The Red Deer, Alberta native says he felt like he had a good season.
“Yah, it was a really good year. Everything just sort of clicked, right”
The six-foot-one, 182-pound net minder put together some impressive numbers during
the regular season, as he had 20 wins, including three shutouts, 11 losses and two ties in 34 games with a 2.36 goals against average (GAA).
What the numbers don’t show is how many games Zane stood on his head to steal games for his teammates.
Wranglers club president Tom Bachynski mentioned that at the recent awards banquet: “Just watching this kid make save after save after save and then pick the puck out of mid-air ... you just shake your head and think, how in hell did he do that?”
Zane started his hockey as a D man, and then in his second year of novice, he put on the pads and worked on his craft between the pipes.
“I liked to block shots, so I guess that’s where I got the desire for the whole goalie thing.”
Noting he tried out for Junior A in Olds, Alta. and got cut after the exhibition games, Zane says Duner (coach Dale Hladun), who seems to know everyone, called him.
“He called me around 9 p.m. and I talked to him for about an hour and he convinced me to join the team. I was on the road the next day at 6 a.m. heading to 100 Mile House.”
Zane got here for a practice and the next day, he played his first game as Wrangler against Sicamous and got the 3-1 victory.
So Zane, what is the key to success in your style of playing the game?
“I would definitely say I am a battler. I didn’t have a lot of goalie coaching until this year, except for a bit in Olds.
“Before that, I would just do anything I can to stop the puck. Sometimes it looks a little awkward, but it works. I never want to get beat; I’m competitive and l like living by that code.”
Zane also has great vision of the ice as he seldom loses sight of the puck. Opposing players and coaches have learned that if he can see the puck, he’s going to stop it.
Noting his glove work is his best weapon, Zane says he’s been working on his blocker to be able to direct the rebounds into the corners or to a teammate.
“I’ve been working hard to get my hands out in front of me and trying not to reach over with my glove, which will get me out of position, so it’s a lot of practice every day. Alex Meeker and Justin Bond will shoot 50 pucks at my blocker and my glove to make sure I react to them properly.”
Zane elevated his game during the playoffs with 13 wins against four losses, while dropping his GAA to 2.09.
Coach Duner and his teammates believe Zane established himself as the best goalie in the league during the playoffs.
Zane says he loves playing for the Wranglers because it’s made up of a bunch of hard-working, hard-nosed guys from the North and he believes that is something he brought with him from Alberta.
“We’ve been together for almost six months now and I’ve never seen a team gel like this. We’re all like brothers, and it’s really something special.”
